The Siren of the City
by GalacticSkelly
Summary: "You're a tough little tadpole to love." They purred, their voice sickly sweet and alluring as the teller looked around before seeming to be caught by their trap. "Naughty lilies and lure. Oh, I was knocked to the floor." The teller's eyes glazed over slightly, their song finally catching the ears of everyone else in the bank. It was too late by that point.
1. Chapter One: The Beginning

So this is my first story for Umbrella Academy. I loved the show and characters though and I hope that I don't make the characters too OOC. I haven't read the comics yet but I do want to. I did create an OC for this fic and I'll probably making a DeviantArt journal about them.

Anyway, the songs used in this chapter are Trust Me from the Devil's Carnival ( watch?v=TqTQYGUhz_Y), Prick! Goes the Scorpion's Tail from the Devil's Carnival ( watch?v=ZY4QbjQ8ams), and One Jump Ahead by Jonathan Young ( watch?v=UFFSLqGAf5c).

Comments and kudos are welcomed and encouraged as is criticism.

* * *

Their day started out like any other for them; they had woken up in their hammock bed in the rafters of their closest friend's house. They stretched and rolled out of the hammock, free falling for a few seconds before landing on their feet easily. They moved to get dressed and grab an apple from the counter before waving at their friend and taking a bite of the apple. Even though their friend had a good job and made good money, they could always use the money.

They knew how to make money.

They took a bite of the apple, walking along the street towards the bank. They had done this all of the world and had never been caught. Luckily, because of what they could do, no one had made the connections; no one could even make the connections. The current bank had been hit by them at least once before, but that didn't stop them from entering the bank with a smile on their face, nodding to the guard, and moving to get into line.

They ate their apple, humming and plugging their headphones into the cheap MP3 player which was filled with pirated music. Waiting patiently, they looked through their music, choosing the perfect song. They finished their apple by the time they got to the front, all that was left was a few seeds which they shoved into their pocket.

"Welcome to First Bank of the City; how may I help you today?" The teller asked as they stepped up to the counter, looking around the teller and humming softly. The teller looked confused for a moment as they leaned on the counter.

"_You're a tough little tadpole to love."_ They purred, their voice sickly sweet and alluring as the teller looked around before seeming to be caught by their trap. _"Naughty lilies and lure. Oh, I was knocked to the floor." _The teller's eyes glazed over slightly, their song finally catching the ears of everyone else in the bank. It was too late by that point.

They had been snared by the Siren's song.

"_Never tasted as sweet a poison as you have. You're an urge that can never be cured." _The bystanders seemed to be affected as well, swaying in their place as they smiled sweetly at the tellers. _"You're a bad little love. And I'm yours."_

The tellers and guards moved their separate ways, the tellers going to get the money from the vaults while the guards gathered the bystanders into small groups of around ten people, sinking to the ground afterwards. _"So trust me, trust me. Darling, dear. I'm so sincere. There's no need to tear. Trust me, trust me. Honey, do. Just like I trust you."_ The money was placed in bags, as the groups of citizens swayed to the melody they were weaving.

They smiled, their blue-green eyes staring at the tellers who were loading money into bags, moving to the beat of the song. _"Babe, you're a hard game to catch. You fight and refuse. Oh, you're a wild little bruise."_ They sang out as bangs were brought around to them, the tellers and guards all mindlessly handing them money. They stepped over a bag to the bystanders who began removing jewelry and taking money from their wallets.

"_Never tasted as sweet a poison as you have. You know you never can hide."_ They purred, people handing over their purses and wallets, swaying numbly. _"You're a bad little love and you're mine."_ They cupped the cheek of a young woman who leaned into the touch and sighed softly, her eyelids fluttering shut. _"So trust me, trust me. Darling, dear. I'm so sincere. There's no need to tear. Trust me, trust me. Darling, do… Just like I trust you."_ They pulled away, the woman frowning and chasing after their hand.

"_So don't cry, crybaby, All dressed in green. How many kisses do you need? One for your tummy, one for your cheek, one for the devil inside… Of… Me."_ They purred, their music immediately switching over to their final song for the bank.

_"Black,_ _black is love's potion. We drink, we drink from its well. And, in their name, let's drink to true love. For a toad and a scorpion fell"_ They sang, the woman leaning closer to them which caused them to smirk at her. _"Yes, in their name, let's drink to true love! For true love can break the spell."_

The guards and tellers moved to sit down as well, swaying to the melody of the new song as the woman followed them as they walked around the groups. _"Awake from your dream, frog maiden, skin green as the emerald sea. Let me tell you a tale of a love that had failed. Prick, prick, prick! Goes the scorpion's tail."_ They touched the teller who had been the start of everything, causing her to tense and fall over unconscious, stiff as a board.

They smiled, walking around the group to choose their next victim. _"She blushed as she walked by the water, having known him the evening before. She liked how he spoke, but aware of his poke. Prick, prick, prick! Goes the scorpion's tail." _They moved to touch three more people, the same thing happening to them. They just seemed to fall over, paralyzed but their touch.

The rest of the people didn't seem to even notice that something was wrong, still swaying along to the tune that poured from their lips. _"Oh, love, it is foolish and green, my love_. _How quickly we forget the sting, my love_._ What a pretty and dangerous line, my love_._ What bitter, yet delicious wine, my love." _They sang, smiling sweetly at the rest of the people and gently caressing a few faces, causing them to fall as well.

"_With a flick of his prick, he surprised her, shell red as the rose in his teeth. 'Fair maiden, join me! Let us ride out to sea!' Prick, prick, prick! Goes the scorpion's tail." _They smiled, walking around slowly and gently resting a hand on more guards and bystanders, each falling to their trap.

"_She pondered, if his love was poison, but he pricked her so gently, she swooned. His words poured like wine as their fates intertwined. Prick, prick, prick! Goes the scorpion's tail." _They continued to fell people, walking around the groups and still being followed by the woman who had fallen for their touch.

They continued to go around, touching people. When almost all of the bystanders, guards, and tellers had fallen to their touch, they smiled as they looked around the room. _"Oh, love, it is foolish and green, my love. How quickly we forget the sting, my love. What a pretty and dangerous line, my love. What bitter, yet delicious wine, my love."_

They loved their power.

_"She offered her back quite demurely. He climbed and they swam out to sea. She stroked and she smiled. And his stinger went wild." _ They tapped everyone else until the only one left standing was the woman who had followed them around the bank. They turned to look at the woman, smiling sweetly and lovingly at her.

The woman didn't move away as they knelt in front of them, the woman leaning closer. They cupped her face in their hands, the woman letting out a soft and breathless moan, leaning into the pale hands. _"Black, black is love's potion_. _Take heed, take heed of the thorns. Don't scream when it stings. Remember that you were warned." _They pulled a hand away to touch the woman's nose.

Almost immediately the woman fell back unconscious just as everyone else had, causing them to smile and move away from the unconscious groups to gather up the money and jewelry. They couldn't help themselves when it came to shiny things, they had to have them.

Unbeknownst to them, the manager had been there and had been watching through the security cameras, his eyes glazed over and slumped against the chair but still conscious. They just finished gathering their items when the manager managed to get out of his stupor, stumbling out with his cell phone in hand.

They looked up when the man stumbled and fell against the stair railing, their eyes going wide. They managed to grab a single bag full of cash and jewelry right as the manager managed to get his bearings straight enough to call 911. They took off just as the manager began talking to the police, slamming the door to the alleyway open and taking off.

"_Gotta keep… One jump ahead of the breadline. One swing ahead of the sword. I steal only what I can't afford. And that's everything!" _They sang, running down the alleyway as an unnatural speed boost hit them, causing them to grin.

They stuck to the alleys as sirens sounded finally, causing them to huff. _"One jump ahead of the lawmen. That's all, and that's no joke. These guys don't appreciate I'm broke." _Speeding up, they darted past a group of people in the alleyway and shoving by them. _"Riffraff! Street rat! Scoundrel! Take that!" _The group called, seemingly shocked as they sang. They grinned, swiping a hot dog from a cart that they ran by.

"_Just a little snack, guys."_ The hot dog vender shook a fist at them as they quickly unwrapped the dog, tossing the foil away and taking a huge bite.

"_Rip them open, take it back, guys!"_

"_I can take a hint, gotta face the facts. You're my friend Grimnir." _They winked a black cat who took off after them, causing them to smile and look back at it. They almost tripped over a sleeping homeless man, who sat up and glared at them.

"_Who? Oh its sad they have hit the bottom. They've become a one-man rise in crime." _Passing pedestrians couldn't help but sing along, causing them to roll their eyes. The only bad thing about the song was the people joining in. _"I'd blame parents except they haven't got 'em."_

They turned around running backwards and pointing to the crowd. They noticed a few police cars but tried to ignore those. _"Gotta eat to live, gotta steal to eat. Tell you all about it when I got the time!"_ They smiled, turning back around and almost running right into the arms of an off-duty police officer.

"_Gotta keep... One jump ahead of the slowpokes. One skip ahead of my doom."_ They dodged the grab of the police office, smirking at the woman. _"Next time gonna use a nom-de-plume. One jump ahead of the hitmen, one hit ahead of the flock." _They skidded to a stop, looking at the police barricade that had formed at the end of the block._ "I think I'll take a stroll around the block."_ The officer grabbed for them again, but they barely got away, darting off into an ally and waving back at the officer as they ran.

They hopped up onto a ladder, looking down at the cop and smiling as they climbed onto the roof. _"Stop thief! Vandal! Outrage! Scandal!" _Their smile fell when officers appeared on the roof, singing along with confused faces. This was the one part of the song they hated. _"Let's not be too hasty..."_ They sang, the closest officer grabbing at their arm.

"_Still I think they're rather tasty."_ They made a face of disgust at the older male who sang that line with a lecherous grin on his face, grabbing for them as they dodge the grab.

"_Gotta eat to live, gotta steal to eat. Otherwise we'd get along."_ They disappeared from view for a second, a puff of smoke taking their place and sending the group of officers who had closed in on them into a confused search, looking for them. They had hopped off the roof and into another alley in the confusion.

"_One jump ahead of the hoofbeats. One hop ahead of the hump. One trick ahead of disaster. They're quick, but I'm much faster." _They didn't even notice the man at the end of the alley, walking towards the dumpster with an ornate box, looking behind them for a split second.

"_Here goes, better throw my hand in, wish me happy landin'. All I gotta do is jump!"_ At that moment, they collided with the man, sending them both to the ground with a groan from the man. Their bag of loot did fall though, sending money and jewelry to the ground.

Luckily the song had done its jobs; both giving them a speed boost and the ability to hide for a specific amount of time that differed each time they sang the song. The police seemed to disappear as they sat up, regaining their direction before the man did.

They quickly gathered as much of it up as they could, swiping the box as well. They did leave him a little money for his troubles though, taking off again and disappearing again after looking back the man. They started towards their friend's house, sneaking through backyards and alleys to get there.

He seemed to be dazed and confused, sitting up and rubbing his head. By the time he sat up and looked around, they were long gone, leaving only a golden coin where they had landed. The man looked at the coin and reached to pick it up, turning it over as he stood and rubbed his thumb over a worn area on the back. A man appeared next to him, looking at the coin as well.

"I wouldn't pawn that off. Looks important." The figure said as the man groaned and moved to look at the other man.

"I hate it when you're right Ben." The man known as Ben smirked as the man dusted himself off and looked around for the box. All that was left was a few loose bills on the ground where the box had been knocked to. When it was nowhere to be found, he angrily groaned, kicking a rock against the nearest wall. "Fuck! That… Weird person took it!" He yelled as Ben sighed, shaking his head.

"Well now… You can't get drugs with that much. How tragic. You have to be sober now." Ben snarked as the man glared over at him, narrowing his eyes. "If you don't have the money, how can you get drugs? You've already said you aren't going back to doing what you used to do." Klaus shook his head, looking at the man before heading out of the alley and walking off to an unknown destination.

They hopped the fence and immediately laid down on the ground as sirens wailed past, keeping still against the grass. After a few minutes, they peeked through a small hole in the bottom of the fence, looking around. When they saw nothing, they hopped up, making their way into the house and waving at their friend who was dressed and sitting on the couch.

They set the bag down on the coffee table, looking at Saké who just blinked at the bag and looked up at them before sighing and moving to count the money she pulled out of the bag and set on the table. "You honestly need to learn how to count this yourself Shea." They shrugged at their friend, sitting down on the floor in front of the coffee table where the pile was. Saké pulled the box out of the bag, causing their eyes to widen as they reached over and took it from her. "Did you steal that?" She asked as they made a small noise, looking over the box and managing to pop it open.

"I'll take that as a yes." She sighed as Shea stood and walked around the room, looking through the papers that had been stashed away in the box and making a noise as Saké watched. "Need to burn or shred those?" Eventually Shea nodded, looking at their friend. "...Alright. You know where the shredder is." They headed over to the shredder, keeping the journal out and thumbing through the pages.

They hummed along to a song that was playing in their headphones as they flipped through the journal, Saké watching them carefully. Eventually they returned to sit down in front of her and the coffee table, looking up at her. "You made a good bit today. But you know you don't need to steal." They rolled their eyes at Saké, moving to climb up into the rafters with the journal in hand.

Once there, they fell asleep, swinging slowly in a hammock strung between two beams and the journal laid on one of the beams.


	2. Chapter Two: The Past

Bean Pháidín ( /gGX17CsMFPk) is the song used in this chapter. I'm not fluent in Irish Gaelic so if the lyrics are wrong, I'll gladly fix them.

Comments and kudos are welcomed and encouraged as is criticism.

* * *

_Their birth hadn't exactly been planned. _

_On October 1, 1989, their mother become inexplicably pregnant. Their mother didn't know that at the same time she had become pregnant, 42 other woman had children even though they hadn't been pregnant that morning. _

_Their mother had been approached by a rich man, offering to buy her baby from her but in the end, she refused. Her refusal was taken horribly by her family, who disowned her and her baby. The next seven years – after she got on her feet – were happy and silent, as they didn't cry or talk much as a baby or a child. And then it happened._

_Their mother died one day._

_Their mother's funeral hit them hard. The woman had given them everything they needed in life, even if she had to work multiple jobs. Since their mother's family had disowned her, they wanted nothing to do with them and so they were given to an orphanage. _

_The owners weren't the greatest people in the world; the woman was gone more than half the time, leaving the children in the care of her alcoholic and abusive husband. The man beat the kids anytime they misbehaved, and for the new kid, that was all the time. There was nothing they could do right according to the owners. And there was nothing they could do about the beatings. _

_Until they found out about their powers one rainy evening. _

_It had started when things went missing. First it was things people wouldn't miss, small shiny coins that fell out of pockets or purses. Next it was silverware that had been thrown out. The theft was only caught when one of the other kids had caught them and tried to tell, only to be thought of the thief. Normally the punishments weren't bad but this one was a beating that left the little boy bleeding and sobbing._

_They were the one to find him in the closet late at night, curled up and crying from the pain. A rage they didn't know existed took over them as they helped the boy up into a bed and dressed his wounds. They wanted to make the horrible people pay for what they had done to him. _

_They made their way into the couple's bedroom, standing at the foot of the bed and watching the pair sleep comfortably. They had no idea what compelled them to sing; they didn't talk at all. **"'Sé an truaigh nach mise, nach mise. 'Sé an truaigh nach mise bean Pháidín. ****'Sé ****an truaigh nach mise, nach mise. 'S an bhean atá aige a bheith caillte."** _

_The woman turned over but they continued their song, looking at the pair. **"Rachainn go Gaillimh, go Gaillimh. 'Gus rachainn go Gaillimh le Páidín. Rachainn go Gaillimh, go Gaillimh. 'S thiocfainn abhaile sa mbád leis." **They felt happier as the song went on, swaying a little and watching the pair with glassy eyes._

_The woman settled back down, sighing in her sleep as they tilted their head, watching the pair even closer. **"'Sé an truaigh nach mise, nach mise. 'Sé an truaigh nach mise bean Pháidín. 'Sé an truaigh nach mise, nach mise. 'S an bhean atá aige a bheith caillte."** The man turned onto his back, seeming like he was going to wake up but settled back down. _

**_"Rachainn go hAonach na Chlocháin. 'S isteach go Béal Átha na Báighe. Bhreathnóinn isteach trí na fuinneogaí. 'Súil 's go bhfeicfinn bean Pháidín." _**_The man woke up slightly, sitting up to get a drink as they watched him carefully. _

**_"_****_'Sé an truaigh nach mise, nach mise. 'Sé an truaigh nach mise bean Pháidín. 'Sé an truaigh nach mise, nach mise. 'S an bhean atá aige a bheith caillte._****_ 'Sé an truaigh nach mise, nach mise. 'Sé an truaigh nach mise bean Pháidín. 'Sé an truaigh nach mise, nach mise. 'S an bhean atá aige a bheith caillte." _**_The man finally noticed them, glaring at them. _

_He opened his mouth to say something, but the words caught in his throat, unable to speak. **"Go mbristear do chosa, do chosa. Go mbristear do chosa, a bhean Pháidín. Go mbristear do chosa, do chosa. Go mbristear do chosa 's do chnámha."** Both of them woke when they sang, their faces contorting in pain as they screamed silently. _

_Under the covers, their legs contorted into unnatural shapes as they smiled and rocked their head to a beat in their head. A few bones stuck out from the woman's legs, her face one of pure pain while the man writhed in the bed, silent crying out for help._

**_'Sé an truaigh nach mise, nach mise. 'Sé an truaigh nach mise bean Pháidín. 'Sé an truaigh nach mise, nach mise. 'S an bhean atá aige a bheith caillte."_**_ More bones broke on the pair, sticking out as they watched with a small smile on their face. They didn't know why they had started singing; they just knew that they wanted to hurt the pair as they had hurt every kid there._

**_"Chaith mé mo bhróga, mo bhróga. Chaith mé mo bhróga i ndiaidh Pháidín. Chaith mé mo bhróga, mo bhróga. Chaith mé na boinn is na sála."_**_ They sang, the pair eventually passing out from the pain that the once silent child had caused just by opening their mouth. _

**_"'Sé an truaigh nach mise, nach mise. 'Sé an truaigh nach mise bean Pháidín. 'Sé an truaigh nach mise, nach mise. 'S an bhean atá aige a bheith caillte. 'Sé an truaigh nach mise, nach mise. 'Sé an truaigh nach mise bean Pháidín. 'Sé an truaigh nach mise, nach mise. 'S an bhean atá aige a bheith caillte." _**_They finished the song, the rest of their bones breaking with sickening cracks. _

_It took them a few seconds to snap out of the trance they had put themselves into, looking at the horror in front of them on the bed before standing and grabbing all the shiny things their tiny hands could carry. They stuffed a purse full of all the money they could carry, sneaking out through a window. _

_They were a few houses away when they heard the scream, a small grin coming to their face as they climbed over fences and made their way to the shipyard. It didn't take too much to sneak aboard a cargo ship; they were a tiny child and they could climb into the rafters easily._

They awoke from their dream to the doorbell ringing, watching their friend walk underneath their hammock to open the door.

"Hey you. What are you doing here?"


End file.
